Electrical connector and insulator



July 1, 1947. w. s. STOCKTON ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND INSULATOR FiledDec. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor WALTE R 5 .5 706K TON By flan!WWW July 1947. w. s. STOCKTON ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND INSULATOR FiledDec. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor WALTER S. STOCKTON and 406;". WWEm Patented July 1, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICALCONNECTOR AND INSULATOR Walter S. Stockton, Columbus, Ohio AppiicationDecember 10, 1945, Serial No. 633,931

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in electrical connectors andinsulators for connection of outdoor power lines to indoor serviceentrance lines, and the like.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a weather-proofconnector and insulator for outdoor use, as on the wall of a building,to connect the leads from power lines to inside service entrance linesin a quicker and easier manner than is possible with present-dayconnectors, and with all connections adequately protccted against theweather while at the same time being readily accessible for repair orrenewal as required.

Other and subordinate objects, also comprebended by my invention,together with the precise nature of my improvements, and the manifoldadvantages thereof, will be readily understood when the succeedingdescription and claims are read with reference to the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in frontelevation of my improved connector andinsulator, in a, preferred embodiment thereof,

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation,

Figure 3 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure2,

Figure 4 is a. view in vertical section taken on the line t-A of Figure1,

Figure 5 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Figure1,

Figure 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4,

Figure '7 is a view in vertical central section of the cover capdetached,

Figure 8 is a view in plan of one of the clamps, and

Figure 9 is a detail view in longitudinal section of another clamp drawnto an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, my improved connector andinsulator, as shown, has th form of a hood comprising, as the basicelement thereof, a shell I of vertically elongated shape and which isopen at its bottom and front, and embodies a back 2, parallel sides 3,and an arched. top 4. A reduced tongue 5 extends upwardly and centrallyfrom the back 2 with a keyhole slot l5 in the upper end thereof for ascrew, not shown, and whereby the shell I may be suspended in a fixedposition on the outside wall, not shown, of a building, or the like. Thetongue 5 is oliset rearwardly of the back 2 and connected thereto belowthe top 4 to provide an upwardly opening rear notch I at the top of theshell I for a purpose presently seen. The back 2 is provided with alower end 8 depending below the sides 3 for easy access to the same fromthe front of said shell, and said end is provided with a pair of boltholes .9 adjacent to the opposite sides thereof and for a purpose to beexplained. The sides 3, from approximately the horizontal center linethereof, are provided with downwardly and rearwardly inclined edges I0,to reduce weight in said. shell. As will be clear, the tongue 5 spacesthe shell I from the wall, not shown, and whereby said shell is freefrom contact with the wall. The shell I may be formed of any suitableweather-proof, durable metal.

An insulation block II is fitted upwardly in the shell I and conforms inshape .to the inside of said shell above the end 8. The insulation blockis provided witha downwardly beveled front face I2 below its horizontalcenter line and inclined in correspondence with the edges II! of thesides 3. A pair of horizontal, coplanar recesses i3 extend into theblock II adjacent to the top thereof and from the front of said block atopposite sides of said block. A pair of bores, one being shown at I4, infull, extend upwardly and rearwardly from the face I2 of said block IIinto the rear portions of the recesses I3. A pair of similar bores I5extend downwardly and rearwardly from the rear portions of said recessesI3 in the rear of said bores I4, and open into a rear, relativelylarger, vertical groove I6 formed in the back of the block II andopening at the bottom of said block. A pair of loop-like clamps H arefitted in the rear ends of the recesses I3 with front end clampingscrews I8 therein accessible from the fronts of said recesses.

A cover cap I9 is fitted over the top of the shell I with a top .20conforming in shape to that of the top 4 of said shell, a front 2Ioverlying the front of the block I to the face I2, and sides 22 fittingover the sides 3 of said shell I and having downwardly and forwardlyinclined bottom edges, as at 23, for reducing weight and material insaid cap. At its rear side, said cap fits in the notch I and is providedwith an upstanding tab 24 by means of which, and a screw 25, said cap issecured to the tongue 5 through a screw hol 26 in the tab. An insulationplate 2'7 .is secured in the cap I9 to the front thereof by a centralscrew 28. The plate 21 seats on a horizontal front shoulder 29 on theblock I I.

.An H-shaped clamp 39 is opposed to the end 8 with legs 3| bolted, as at32, to said end through the bolt holes 9. The clamp 30 includes a bridgemember 33 forming, with the legs 3|, front and rear channels 34, 35 insaid clamp. A screw bolt 35 extends forwardly through the bridge member33 into the front channel 34 with a clamping plate 3'! at its front end,and in said channel 34, and a nut 38 thereon backing said plate. Thebolt 38 is interlocked with the bridge member 33, against turning, by 3.lug 39 on a countersunk head so engaging a notch 4! in the bridge member33. Nubs 42 are provided on said bridge member 33 in th rear channels 35to coact with similar nubs 53 on the end 8 for gripping an electriccable sheath in a manner presently explained. It may be stated at thispoint that the clamp 38 is arranged to hold the block II in the shell I,being directly beneath said block, as shown.

The described connector and insulator, in the illustrated applicationthereof, is designed to connect two outside, insulated, power feed leads44, 45 to a pail of insulated, servic entrance leads 4%, 4'! extendingout of a sheath 4S and for connection to suitable house switches or fuseplugs, not shown. The power feed leads 44, 43 and the leads 45, 4? areconnected together in pairs, as follows: Said leads (-4, 65 are extendedupwardly through the bores I4 into the pairs of clamps I1, and saidleads 46, 67 are extended upwardly through the bores 55 with the sheath48 extended upwardly into the groove I6 and the terminals of the leads46, 41 arranged behind the terminals of said leads 44, 45 and clampedtogether by means of the screws 88. The sheath 48 is clamped between theclamp 39 and the end 8 of the back 2 of the shell I with said sheathextending through the rear channel 35 of said clamp 38. The terminal ofa neutral, or grounding, line 49 is clamped in the front channel 34 ofthe clamp 33 on one side of the screw bolt 35 by means of the plate 37and the nut 38. The usual strand loop 50, passed around the leads 45,41, in the groove I6, is extended down to the clamp 30 and secured inthe front channel 34 on the other side of said bolt 36 by said plate 3?and nut 38. Thus, it will be seen, the clamp 38 serves the dual purposeof securing the lead-containing sheath 48 in place and also the neutral,or grounding, line 49, together with the loop As will now be seen, byremoving the cap I9, access may be had to the clamps I3 for connectingthe power feed leads 44, 45 to the service entrance leads 45, 4? quicklyand easily, while the connections for the neutral or grounding line 49are always open to access thereto, at the same time bein protected bythe overhanging block I I. The other connections described areadequately protected by the block I I and shell I.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suifice to impart a clearunderstanding of my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention as described, is susceptible of modificationwithout departing from the inventive concept, and right is hereinreserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What I claim is:

1. In an electrical connector and insulator, a. hood-like shell open atits bottom and front and having sides, and a back having a lower enddepending below said sides, an insulation block fitted in said shellabove said end of the back, a pair of upper recesses in said block openat the front of the shell and containing clamps, a pair of front boresextending upwardly and rearwardly through said block from the frontthereof and to said recesses, a pair of rear bores extending upwardlythrough said block to said recesses, said pairs of bores being adaptedfor the extension of pairs of leads therethrough to be connectedtogether in pairs in said recesses by said clamps, a cover cap for saidshell closing said recesses at the front of the shell, and meanscoacting with said lower end of said back for clampingly engaging therear pair of leads and holding said block up in said shell.

2. In an electrical connector and insulator, a hood-like shell open atits bottom and front and having sides, and a back having a lower enddepending below said sides, an insulation block fitted in said shellabove said end of the back, a pair of upper recesses in said block openat the front of the shell and containing clamps, a pair of front boresextending upwardly and rearwardly through said block from the frontthereof and to said recesses, a pair of rear bores ex tending upwardlythrough said block to said recesses, said pairs of bores being adaptedfor the extension of pairs of leads therethrough to be connectedtogether in pairs in said recesses by said clamps, a cover cap for saidshell closing said recesses at the front of the shell, means coactingwith said lower end of said back for clampingly engaging the rear pairof leads and holding said block up in said shell, and means coactingwith the first-mentioned means for clamping a pair of lead connectionsthereto and bridging the same.

3. In an electrical connector and insulator, a

" hood-like shell open at its bottom and front and having sides, and aback having a lower end depending below said sides, an insulation blockfitted in said shell above said end of the back, a pair of upperrecesses in said block open at the front of the shell and containingclamps, a pair of front bores extending upwardly and rearwardly tlnoughsaid block from the front thereof and to said recesses, a pair of rearbores extending upwardly through said block to said recesses, said pairsof bores being adapted for the extension of pairs of loads therethroughto be connected together in pairs in said recesses by said clamps, acover cap for said shell closing said recesses at the front of theshell, means coacting with said lower end of said back for clampinglyengaging the rear pair of leads and holding said block up in said shell,and means coacting with the firstmentioned means for clamping a pair oflead connections thereto and bridging the same, said block overhangingsaid means to protect the same.

WALTER S. STOCKTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,362,184 Bissell Nov. 7, 1944969,816 Wallau et al. Sept. 13, 1910 2,000,374 Buchanan May 7, 1935FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 57,744 Norway 1937 502,252 Germany1930

